Syllabus
PROSPERO'S PROGENY:
Magic, Science, and the Poetics of colonial American Writing, 1492-1800
RALPH BAUER
office: (301) 405 3794
home: (301) 270 0785
department: (301) 405 3809
E-Mail: rb227@umail.umd.edu
CLASS: T/TH 2-3:15 *** OFFICE HOURS: T/TH 3:30-5 (and by appointment) 4107 SUSQUEHANNA HALL
B. SCHEDULE:
WEEK I: Introduction
-Introduction
-Watch video: The Tempest
WEEK II: Resemblance and Translation
Possible Presentations:
- Foucault, The Order of Things.
- Cheyfitz, The Poetics of Imperialism.
- Grafton, New Worlds, Ancient Texts.
- O'Gorman, The Invention of America.
Readings:
- Columbus, Four Voyages.
- from Vespucci, Letters (x)
- Foucault, "Of Other Spaces."
WEEK III: Metaphor and Conquest
Possible Presentations:
- Todorov, The Conquest of America
- Mackenthum, Metaphors of Dispossession
- Hulme, Colonial Encounters.
- Leonard, Books of the Brave.
- Sayre, Les Sauvages Américains
- Cervantes, The Devil in the New World
- Seed, Ceremonies of Possession
.
Readings:
- from Cortés, Letters (X)
- John Smith, A Selection of his Writings.
WEEK IV: Pilgrimage and Empire.
Possible Presentations:
- Pagden, European Encounters with the New World.
- Maravall, Culture of the Baroque
- Fowler and Greene, eds., The Project of Prose in the early modern European and New World
Readings:
- Cabeza de Vaca, The Account
- (Optional): Movie: Cabeza de Vaca.
WEEK V: Science and Absolutism
Possible Presentations:
- Solomon, Objectivity in the Making.
- Albenese, New World, New Science.
Readings:
- Walter Raleigh, Discovery (x)
- Thomas Harriot, A Brief and True Report (x)
- Solomon, "The Know, to Fly, to Conjure." (x)
- Solomon, "Going Places: Absolutism and Movement in The Tempest."
WEEK VI: The Myth of Modernity (I): colonial semioses
Possible Presentations:
- Enrique Dussel, The Invention of the Americas.
- Walter Mignolo, The Darker Side of the Renaissance.
Readings:
- Guaman Poma de Ayala, A letter to the King. (x)
- from León Portilla, The Broken Spears.
WEEK VII: Baroque Dreams
Possible Presentations:
- Véliz, The New World of the Gothic Fox.
- Rama, The Lettered City.
Readings:
- Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz, Poems, Protest, and a Dream.
- (optional:) Movie: Yo, la peor de todas/I, the worst of all.
WEEK VIII: Gothic Nightmares
Possible Presentations:
- Thomas, Religion and the Decline of Magic.
- Hall, Worlds of Wonder, Days of Judgement.
- Hartman, Providence Tales and the Birth of American Literature.
- Egan, Authorizing Experience.
- Goddu, Gothic America
Readings:
- Mary Rowlandson, The Goodness and Sovereignty of God. (in Martin).
- Susanna Martin, Examination of Susanna Martin [in the Salem Witchcraft trials] (x).
- Cotton Mather, Wonders of the Invisible World. (x)
WEEK IX: American Pícaros
Possible Presentations:
- Maravall, Utopia and Counter-Utopia in the Quixote.
- Adams, Travelers and Travel Liars
Readings:
- Siguenza y Góngora, Misfortunes of Alonso Ramírez. (x)
- Ebenezer Cook, The Sot-Weed Factor (x).
WEEK X: Empires of Science
Possible Presentations:
- Shapin, A Social History of Truth.
- Boas Hall, Promoting Experimental Learning
- Stearns, Science in the British Colonies of America
Readings:
- Byrd, History of the Dividing Line. (in Martin)
WEEK XI: The Myth of Modernity (II): Atlantic Dialectics.
Possible Presentations:
- Gilroy, The Black Atlantic
- Roach, Cities of the Dead
- Gates, ed. Race, Writing, and Difference.
Readings:
- Equiano, The Interesting Narrative.
- from Soja, Postmodern Geographies.
WEEK XII: Mercantilist Poetics
Possible Presentations:
- Wallerstein, The Modern World System II.
- Gerbi, The Dispute of the New World.
- Regis, Describing Early America.
Readings:
- Jefferson, Notes on the State of Virginia.
WEEK XIII: Empires Dismembered
Possible Presentations:
- Clifford and Marcus, Writing Culture.
- Fliegelman, Prodigals and Pilgrimes.
Readings:
- Crèvecoeur, Letters from an American Farmer
WEEK XIV: Nations Embodied
Possible Presentations:
- Pratt, Imperial Eyes.
- Johnson, Satire in Colonial Spanish America
- Anderson, Imagined Communities.
Readings:
- Carrió de la Vandera, A Guide for Blind Travelers between Buenos Aires and Lima (x).
SEMINAR PAPER: DRAFT AND BIBLIOGRAPHY DUE 12/13/99, 5 PM; FINAL DRAFT DUE 12/22/99, 5 PM